Online prostitution sting nets 15 arrests

Published: Monday, March 11, 2013 at 9:45 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 11:22 a.m.

Over the course of two days, police arrested 15 men of different ages, races and communities, alleging they solicited a prostitute through a Craigslist-like website, Houma Police detectives said.

South Terrebonne High School band director Billy James, 37, 157 Presque Isle, Houma, was one of those arrested.

To Police Chief Todd Duplantis' knowledge, it was the first time his department had conducted an online prostitution sting rather than arresting men for soliciting prostitutes on the street, he said.

“With this operation being online, it appears to be a bigger problem. ... It's shocking to us that there's 15 total here. It definitely seems to be something we may need to address,” Duplantis said.

However, Duplantis said the rash of online prostitution is not specific to Houma because one of the prostitutes, to whom police issued a summons, is from Fresno, Texas, and was planning on propositioning people in Houma for a few days before moving on to Lafayette. She told police she does it to support her child.

The other prostitute, who was not arrested and who agreed to be a part of the sting, “posted her information on that page early last week. It wasn't up for many days. ... They got a lot of hits on it.”

Police said the sting targeted men who contacted the women through www.backpage.com, which has a section labeled “adult” with categories including escorts, strippers and “adult jobs.”

They arrested nine men Friday and six men Saturday after each man gave a woman money for sexual favors at a hotel, police said.

After this weekend's operation, police said they learned of other websites that connect people with prostitutes. They're planning similar stings in the future, and those who are caught will be arrested.

Superintendent Philip Martin declined to discuss how the school district would handle James' arrest, citing personnel privacy issues.

In general, Martin said whether a teacher is fired for a conviction depends on the crime, and whether a teacher is fired after an arrest but before a conviction depends on the “evidence and merit of the case.” He declined to say what the district's policy is when someone is charged with soliciting a prostitute, which all the men arrested were.

The School Board's policies and procedures manual only notes that employees must report final convictions or guilty pleas, excluding traffic offenses, to the board within 48 hours. Employees must report certain sexual crimes within 24 hours after their arrests, but soliciting a prostitute is not one of the crimes included in that stipulation.

Others arrested Friday as part of the sting:

Taneshia Brown, 25, of Fresno, Texas, is the woman accused of soliciting some of the men, police said. She was issued a summons because, unlike the alleged prostitute police contacted to conduct the sting, detectives found out about Brown's activities while they were planning the sting, Duplantis said.

A federal grant paid for the operation, so Houma Police will report all the information gleaned to federal authorities, Duplantis said. The grant, which is worth about $43,000, pays for homicide, prostitution and drug investigations.

In February 2012, State Police, Houma Police and the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Office arrested eight people as part of a prostitution sting. They stationed themselves near downtown Houma and surrounding areas to catch prostitutes and those looking for prostitutes, Houma Police said. Undercover officers posed both as prostitutes and those looking for them, authorities said.

- Toby Torres, 36, 259 Leonard St., Raceland.

- Chris Theriot, 18, 1611 Chantilly Drive, Houma.

- Porferio Reyes Mendoz, 58 Kingsridge Loop, Houma.

- Manny Schexnayder, 32, 103 Lovell Court, Theriot.

- Kevin Echeverria, 24, 9207 Houma Highlands Court, Houma.

- Jesus Galdamez, 23, 219 E. Lerille St., Lockport.

- Cullen Landry, 20, 108 Marcel Lane, Houma.

- Ramon Johnson, 35, 108 First St., Napoleonville.

Arrested Saturday:

- Jacob Thomas Krenn, 26, 1404 Bond St., Houma.

- Easton LeCompte Jr., 63, 811 Douglas Drive, Houma.

- Joseph W. Washington, 24, 207 Gloria St., Thibodaux.

- Jerry Jack Hebert, 192 W. 77th St., Galliano.

- Milton J. Griffin, 55, 112 Country Village, Raceland.

- Steven Alcorn, 35, 2511 W. Camellia Drive, Thibodaux.

Correspondent Bill Ellzey contributed to this report. Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.

<p>Over the course of two days, police arrested 15 men of different ages, races and communities, alleging they solicited a prostitute through a Craigslist-like website, Houma Police detectives said.</p><p>South Terrebonne High School band director Billy James, 37, 157 Presque Isle, Houma, was one of those arrested. </p><p>To Police Chief Todd Duplantis' knowledge, it was the first time his department had conducted an online prostitution sting rather than arresting men for soliciting prostitutes on the street, he said.</p><p>“With this operation being online, it appears to be a bigger problem. ... It's shocking to us that there's 15 total here. It definitely seems to be something we may need to address,” Duplantis said.</p><p>However, Duplantis said the rash of online prostitution is not specific to Houma because one of the prostitutes, to whom police issued a summons, is from Fresno, Texas, and was planning on propositioning people in Houma for a few days before moving on to Lafayette. She told police she does it to support her child.</p><p>The other prostitute, who was not arrested and who agreed to be a part of the sting, “posted her information on that page early last week. It wasn't up for many days. ... They got a lot of hits on it.”</p><p>Police said the sting targeted men who contacted the women through www.backpage.com, which has a section labeled “adult” with categories including escorts, strippers and “adult jobs.”</p><p>They arrested nine men Friday and six men Saturday after each man gave a woman money for sexual favors at a hotel, police said.</p><p>After this weekend's operation, police said they learned of other websites that connect people with prostitutes. They're planning similar stings in the future, and those who are caught will be arrested.</p><p>Superintendent Philip Martin declined to discuss how the school district would handle James' arrest, citing personnel privacy issues.</p><p>In general, Martin said whether a teacher is fired for a conviction depends on the crime, and whether a teacher is fired after an arrest but before a conviction depends on the “evidence and merit of the case.” He declined to say what the district's policy is when someone is charged with soliciting a prostitute, which all the men arrested were.</p><p>The School Board's policies and procedures manual only notes that employees must report final convictions or guilty pleas, excluding traffic offenses, to the board within 48 hours. Employees must report certain sexual crimes within 24 hours after their arrests, but soliciting a prostitute is not one of the crimes included in that stipulation.</p><p>Others arrested Friday as part of the sting:</p><p>Taneshia Brown, 25, of Fresno, Texas, is the woman accused of soliciting some of the men, police said. She was issued a summons because, unlike the alleged prostitute police contacted to conduct the sting, detectives found out about Brown's activities while they were planning the sting, Duplantis said.</p><p>A federal grant paid for the operation, so Houma Police will report all the information gleaned to federal authorities, Duplantis said. The grant, which is worth about $43,000, pays for homicide, prostitution and drug investigations.</p><p>In February 2012, State Police, Houma Police and the Assumption Parish Sheriff's Office arrested eight people as part of a prostitution sting. They stationed themselves near downtown Houma and surrounding areas to catch prostitutes and those looking for prostitutes, Houma Police said. Undercover officers posed both as prostitutes and those looking for them, authorities said.</p><p>- Toby Torres, 36, 259 Leonard St., Raceland.</p><p>- Chris Theriot, 18, 1611 Chantilly Drive, Houma.</p><p>- Porferio Reyes Mendoz, 58 Kingsridge Loop, Houma.</p><p>- Manny Schexnayder, 32, 103 Lovell Court, Theriot.</p><p>- Kevin Echeverria, 24, 9207 Houma Highlands Court, Houma.</p><p>- Jesus Galdamez, 23, 219 E. Lerille St., Lockport.</p><p>- Cullen Landry, 20, 108 Marcel Lane, Houma.</p><p>- Ramon Johnson, 35, 108 First St., Napoleonville.</p><p>Arrested Saturday:</p><p>- Jacob Thomas Krenn, 26, 1404 Bond St., Houma.</p><p>- Easton LeCompte Jr., 63, 811 Douglas Drive, Houma.</p><p>- Joseph W. Washington, 24, 207 Gloria St., Thibodaux.</p><p>- Jerry Jack Hebert, 192 W. 77th St., Galliano.</p><p>- Milton J. Griffin, 55, 112 Country Village, Raceland.</p><p>- Steven Alcorn, 35, 2511 W. Camellia Drive, Thibodaux.</p><p><i> Correspondent Bill Ellzey contributed to this report. Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com. </i></p>